Sabres G Nathan Lieuwen called upon to make NHL debut Sunday vs. Canadiens
It certainly was an eventful weekend for Sabres goaltending prospect Nathan Lieuwen.
After having played Friday and Saturday for the AHL's Rochester Americans, Lieuwen was called up Sunday morning to serve as Jhonas Enroth's backup for Buffalo's game against the Montreal Canadiens, due to a lower-body injury suffered by Michal Neuvirth.
Enroth was forced to leave the game with just under four minutes to go in the second period, pressing Lieuwen into action for the first time at the NHL level.
The 22-year old, who was drafted 167th overall in 2011, stopped all 10 shots he faced, including this one off the stick for former Sabre Thomas Vanek:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
“I was in disbelief. It felt like a dream. I kind of had to pinch myself a little bit, but once I got in there, I actually felt really good,” Lieuwen told the team's official website. “It was actually kind of nice that I played the last two nights for Rochester. Just to step in, it was like another game once I actually got in the game and that was nice just to go out there and play.”
Interim head coach Ted Nolan said “it doesn't look like it’s going to be short term" in regards to Enroth's injury, and with Neuvirth also on the shelf for an undetermined period of time, Lieuwen may get another shot to ply his trade in Buffalo in the very near future.
Nolan added that both Cory Conacher and Mike Weber volunteered to serve as the emergency goaltender in the event that Lieuwen also went down.
In 32 games in the AHL, Liuewen posted a 17-11-2 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average.